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iGage
iG8 User Manual
Setting Up the Optional ADL Vantage Pro Repeater Kit
All-in-One RTK pairs include 1-watt internal Transmit / Receive radios in both the Base and Rover. For many jobs, 1-watt
will be sufficient power to blanket the survey area with UHF corrections. To cover larger areas, an optional repeater can
be used to extend surveying range.
Typically the repeater will receive a full correction message from the base and immediately retransmit the corrections at
a higher power on the same channel as it is received. It is also possible to receive corrections on one frequency and
transmit on another.
The repeater need not be located near the base, it only needs to be able to dependably listen to the base signal. This is
great for applications where it is convenient to place the base on a job corner or control point, and then place the
repeater on a nearby hill that has excellent radio coverage.
Figure 8 Using a Repeater to extend UHF correction range.
Important Protocol Note
If you are going to use a repeater, you must use ‘SCMRx’ protocol:
on your base or raise the elevation mask to limit the message length to under 450 characters per second.
Please read the FAQ:
iG_Provisioning%20ADLVantage35Repeater_V5_xxx
found in the web folder:
https://ig8g.com/out/faq/index.htm
for additional information.
Repeater Radio Battery
The duty cycle of the radio in normal operation is about 50% and the radio draws about 8 amps at full output power. So a
9-hour day requires about 40 amp hours. However the battery requirement is greatly increased for operation in cold
weather and the battery’s capacity is reduced after several discharge cycles. The less the battery is discharged as a
function of its maximum capacity, the more charge cycles the battery will accept. For these reasons, when purchasing a
battery for the base: big-is-certainly-better.
Large deep cycle marine batteries with screw terminals that will directly accept the lug connectors of the supplied cables
are available at reasonable cost from many local sources. iGage typically does not provide an external battery for use
with the repeater.
Figure 9 Deep Cycle Battery
Before plugging in the UHF radio, always insure that the UHF antenna has been connected to the radio. Double check
that the polarity (RED = +; BLACK = -) is correct before attaching the power connector:
